ISO 19101:2002

Geographic information - Reference model

This International Standard defines the framework for standardization in the field of geographic information and sets forth the basic principles by which this standardization takes place. This framework identifies the scope of the standardization activity being undertaken and the context in which it takes place. The framework provides the method by which what is to be standardized can be determined and describes how the contents of the standards are related. Although structured in the context of information technology and information technology standards, this International Standard is independent of any application development method or technology implementation approach.

Information géographique — Modèle de référence

Geografske informacije - Referenčni model

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 03-Jul-2002
• Withdrawal Date: 03-Jul-2002
• ICS: 35.240.70 - IT applications in science
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 211 - Geographic information/Geomatics
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 211 - Geographic information/Geomatics
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Start Date: 12-Nov-2014
• Completion Date: 13-Dec-2025
• Ref Project: SIST ISO 19101:2003 - Geographic information -- Reference model

Relations

• Revised: ISO 19101-1:2014 - Geographic information - Reference model - Part 1: Fundamentals
• Effective Date: 31-Mar-2012

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 19101
First edition
2002-07-01
Geographic information — Reference
model
Information géographique — Modèle de référence

Reference number
©
ISO 2002
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ii © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

Contents
Foreword.v
Introduction.vi
1 Scope .1
2 Conformance.1
3 Normative references.1
4 Terms and definitions .1
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms .4
5.1 Abbreviations.4
5.2 UML notation.5
6 Concepts and organization of the reference model.5
6.1 Integration of geographic information with information technology.5
6.2 Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards .7
6.3 Reference model organization .7
6.4 Interoperability of geographic information.8
6.4.1 Definition of interoperability.8
6.4.2 Aspects of interoperability .9
6.4.3 Interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic standards .9
7 Conceptual modelling .10
7.1 Content of this clause .10
7.2 Definition of conceptual modelling.10
7.3 Use of this clause .11
7.4 Specification of conceptual schema language for the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards.11
7.5 The approach to conceptual modelling.11
7.6 Principles of conceptual modelling .12
7.7 Model integration.13
8 The Domain reference model .13
8.1 Content of this clause .13
8.2 Definition of Domain reference model.13
8.3 Uses of the Domain reference model .14
8.4 Overview of the Domain Reference model .14
8.5 Use of abstraction levels in the Domain reference model .16
8.6 Detailed description of the Domain reference model .17
8.6.1 Introduction.17
8.6.2 Application schema.17
8.6.3 Spatial objects and position.19
8.6.4 Reference systems.20
8.6.5 Quality.22
8.6.6 Metadata .23
8.6.7 General feature model.24
9 The Architectural reference model .25
9.1 Content of this clause .25
9.2 Definition of the Architectural reference model .26
9.3 Uses of the Architectural reference model .26
9.4 Overview of the Architectural reference model.26
9.4.1 Introduction.26
9.4.2 Services and service interfaces .26
9.4.3 Identifying services and service interfaces for geographic information.28
9.5 Types of geographic information services .28
9.5.1 Introduction.28
9.5.2 Types of information technology services relevant to geographic information.28
9.5.3 Extension of service types for geographic information .30
9.5.4 Service types in the ISO 19100 series compared to other service models .30
9.6 Service interfaces and standardization requirements.30
9.6.1 Introduction.30
9.6.2 Identifying standardization requirements for geographic information services .31
9.6.3 Fulfilling standardization requirements and the role of profiles .32
9.6.4 Elaboration of standardization requirements .32
9.6.5 Using this procedure to identify requirements for geographic information standards.33
10 Profiles and functional standards.34
10.1 Content of this clause .34
10.2 Profiles and base standards.34
10.3 Modularity concept.34
10.4 Use of profiles.34
10.5 Product specifications .34
10.6 Relationship of profiles to base standards.34
10.7 Functional standards .35
10.8 Registration of profiles .35
Annex A (informative) The Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility.36
A.1 Introduction.36
A.2 The ISO Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility Schema architecture.36
A.3 ISO CSMF schema architecture and the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards .38
Annex B (informative) Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information
standards.39
Bibliography .41

iv © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO
member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards adopted
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this International Standard may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 19101 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 211, Geographic information/Geomatics.
Annexes A and B of this International Standard are for information only.
Introduction
Every comprehensive standardization effort needs a reference model to ensure an integrated and consistent
approach. This International Standard is a guide to structuring geographic information standards in a way that will
enable the universal usage of digital geographic information. This reference model describes the overall
requirements for standardization and the fundamental principles that apply in developing and using standards for
geographic information. In describing these requirements and principles, this reference model provides a vision of
standardization in which geographic information can be integrated with existing and emerging digital information
technologies and applications. This International Standard is intended to be used by information system analysts,
program planners and developers of geographic information standards that are related to geographic information
standards, as well as others in order to understand the basic principles of this series of standards and the overall
requirements for standardization of geographic information.
Beyond the needs within traditional applications of digital geographic information, there is a growing recognition
among users of information technology that indexing by location is a fundamental way to organize and to use digital
data. Increasingly, digital data from a wide variety of sources is being referenced to locations for use in a diversity
of applications. Consequently, there is an increasing need for standardization of geographic information and
services for processing this information. To meet this need, the ISO 19100 series standardizes relevant aspects of
the description and management of geographic information and geographic information services. This
standardization will:
 increase the understanding and usage of geographic information;
 increase the availability, access, integration and sharing of geographic information;
 promote the efficient, effective and economic use of digital geographic information and associated hardware
and software systems;
 contribute to a unified approach to addressing global ecological and humanitarian problems.
To achieve these goals, standardization of geographic information in the ISO 19100 series is based on the
integration of the concepts of geographic information with those of information technology. The development of
standards for geographic information must consider the adoption or adaptation of generic information technology
standards whenever possible. It is only when this cannot be done that geographic information standards need to be
developed.
This International Standard identifies a generic approach to structuring the ISO 19100 series of standards. This
reference model uses concepts obtained from the ISO/IEC Open Systems Environment (OSE) approach for
determining standardization requirements described in ISO/IEC TR 14252, the IEC Open Distributed Processing
(ODP) Reference Model described in ISO/IEC 10746-1 and other relevant ISO standards and technical reports.
This International Standard does not prescribe any specific products or techniques for implementing geographic
information systems.
vi © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19101:2002(E)

Geographic information — Reference model
1 Scope
This International Standard defines the framework for standardization in the field of geographic information and
sets forth the basic principles by which this standardization takes place.
This framework identifies the scope of the standardization activity being undertaken and the context in which it
takes place. The framework provides the method by which what is to be standardized can be determined and
describes how the contents of the standards are related.
Although structured in the context of information technology and information technology standards, this
International Standard is independent of any application development method or technology implementation
approach.
2 Conformance
General conformance and testing requirements for the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards are
described in ISO 19105. Specific conformance requirements are described in individual standards in the ISO 19100
series.
3 Normative reference
The following normative document contains provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this International Standard. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or revisions of, any of these
publications do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this International Standard are encouraged to
investigate the possibility of applying the most recent edition of the normative document indicated below. For
undated references, the latest edition of the normative document referred to applies. Members of ISO and IEC
maintain registers of currently valid International Standards.
1)
ISO/IEC 19501-1:— , Information technology — Unified Modeling Language (UML) — Part 1: Specification
4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard, the following terms and definitions apply. Sources of term
definitions not defined in this International Standard are provided.
NOTE Throughout this document, certain terms are italicized. These terms are defined either in this clause or in the terms
and definitions clause of another part of ISO 19100, as indicated.
4.1
application
manipulation and processing of data in support of user requirements
4.2
application schema
conceptual schema for data required by one or more applications

1) To be published.
4.3
conceptual formalism
set of modelling concepts used to describe a conceptual model
EXAMPLE UML meta model, EXPRESS meta model.
NOTE One conceptual formalism can be expressed in several conceptual schema languages.
4.4
conceptual model
model that defines concepts of a universe of discourse
4.5
conceptual schema
formal description of a conceptual model
4.6
conceptual schema language
formal language based on a conceptual formalism for the purpose of representing conceptual schemas
EXAMPLE UML, EXPRESS, IDEF1X
NOTE A conceptual schema language may be lexical or graphical. Several conceptual schema languages can be based
on the same conceptual formalism.
4.7
dataset
identifiable collection of data
4.8
data level
level containing data describing specific instances
4.9
data quality element
quantitative component documenting the quality of a dataset
NOTE The applicability of a data quality element to a dataset depends on both the dataset’s content and its product
specification; the result being that all data elements may not be applicable to all datasets.
4.10
data quality overview element
non-quantitative component documenting the quality of a dataset
NOTE Information about the purpose, usage and lineage of a dataset is non-quantitative information.
4.11
feature
abstraction of real world phenomena
NOTE A feature may occur as a type or an instance. Feature type or feature instance shall be used when only one is
meant.
4.12
feature attribute
characteristic of a feature
EXAMPLE 1 A feature attribute named “colour” may have an attribute value “green” which belongs to the data type “text”.
EXAMPLE 2 A feature attribute named “length” may have an attribute value “82.4” which belongs to the data type “real”.
2 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

NOTE 1 A feature attribute has a name, a data type and a value domain associated to it. A feature attribute for a feature
instance also has an attribute value taken from the value domain.
NOTE 2 In a feature catalogue, a feature attribute may include a value domain but does not specify attribute values for
feature instances.
4.13
feature catalogue
catalogue containing definitions and descriptions of the feature types, feature attributes and feature relationships
occurring in one or more sets of geographic data, together with any feature operations that may be applied
4.14
feature operation
operation that every instance of a feature type may perform
EXAMPLE 1 An operation upon the feature type “dam” is to raise the dam. The result of this operation is to raise the level of
water in a reservoir.
EXAMPLE 2 An operation by the feature type “dam” might be to block vessels from navigating along a watercourse.
NOTE Feature operations provide a basis for feature type definition.
4.15
functional standard
existing geographic information standard, in active use by an international community of data producers and data
users
NOTE GDF, S-57 and DIGEST are examples of functional standards.
4.16
geographic information
information concerning phenomena implicitly or explicitly associated with a location relative to the Earth
4.17
geographic information service
service that transforms, manages, or presents geographic information to users
4.18
geographic information system
information system dealing with information concerning phenomena associated with location relative to the Earth
4.19
graphical language
language whose syntax is expressed in terms of graphical symbols
4.20
lexical language
language whose syntax is expressed in terms of symbols defined as character strings
4.21
metadata schema
conceptual schema describing metadata
NOTE ISO 19115 describes a standard for a metadata schema.
4.22
profile
set of one or more base standards and — where applicable — the identification of chosen clauses, classes, options
and parameters of those base standards that are necessary for accomplishing a particular function
NOTE A base standard is any ISO 19100 series standard or other Information Technology standard that can be used as a
source for components from which a profile or product specification may be constructed (see ISO/IEC TR 10000-1).
4.23
quality
totality of characteristics of a product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs
4.24
quality schema
conceptual schema defining aspects of quality for geographic data
4.25
schema
formal description of a model
4.26
service
capability which a service provider entity makes available to a service user entity at the interface between those
entities
4.27
service interface
shared boundary between an automated system or human being and another automated system or human being
4.28
spatial object
instance of a type defined in the spatial schema
4.29
universe of discourse
view of the real or hypothetical world that includes everything of interest
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms
5.1 Abbreviations
CSMF Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility
ECMA European Computer Manufacturers Association
GIS Geographic Information System
IDL Interface Definition Language
IRDS Information Resource Dictionary System
ISP International Standardized Profiles
IT Information Technology
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
OCL Object Constraint Language
4 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

ODP Open Distributed Processing
OMG Object Management Group
OSE Open Systems Environment
UML Unified Modelling Language
5.2 UML notation
The diagrams that appear in this International Standard are presented in accordance with the Unified Modelling
1)
Language (UML) specified in ISO/IEC 19501-1:— . The UML notation is described in Figure 1.

Figure 1 — UML notation
6 Concepts and organization of the reference model
6.1 Integration of geographic information with information technology
The ISO 19100 is a series of standards for defining, describing and managing geographic information. This
International Standard defines the architectural framework of the ISO 19100 series of standards and sets forth the
principles by which this standardization takes place.
Standardization of geographic information can best be served by a set of standards that integrates a detailed
description of the concepts of geographic information with the concepts of information technology. A goal of this
standardization effort is to facilitate interoperability of geographic information systems, including interoperability in
distributed computing environments. Figure 2 depicts this approach.
Figure 2 — Integration of geographic information and information technology
The ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards establishes a structured set of standards for information
concerning objects or phenomena that are directly or indirectly associated with a location relative to the Earth. This
standard specifies methods, tools and services for management of geographic information, including the definition,
acquisition, analysis, access, presentation and transfer of such data in digital/electronic form between different
users, systems and locations. In Figure 2, the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards can be
grouped into five major areas, each of which incorporate information technology concepts to standardize
geographic information. These major areas describe:
 The framework for the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards including this International
Standard. The framework and reference model cover the more general aspects of the ISO 19100 series of
standards. The reference model identifies all components involved and defines how they fit together. It relates
the different aspects of the ISO 19100 series of standards together and provides a common basis for
communication.
 Geographic information services define the encoding of information in transfer formats and the methodology
for presentation of geographic information that is based on cartography and the old traditions of standardized
visualisations. This area also includes the field of satellite positioning; together with the formats and interfaces
necessary to utilize modern navigational satellite systems.
 Data administration is concerned with the description of quality principles and quality evaluation procedures for
geographic information datasets. Data administration also includes the description of the data itself, or
metadata, together with feature catalogues. This area also covers the spatial referencing of geographical
objects — either directly through coordinates, or more indirectly by use of, for instance, area codes like postal
or zip codes, addresses, etc.
 Data models and operators are concerned with the underlying geometry of the globe and how geographic
features and their spatial characteristics may be modelled. This area defines important spatial characteristics
and how these are related to each other.
 Profiles and functional standards consider the technique of profiling. Profiling consists of putting together
“packages/subsets” of the total set of standards to fit individual application areas or users. This supports rapid
6 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

implementation and penetration in the user environments due to the comprehensiveness of the total set of
standards. Equally important is the task of “absorbing” existing de facto standards from the commercial sector
and harmonizing them with profiles of the emerging ISO standards.
6.2 Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards
The focus of this family of standards is to:
a) define the basic semantics and structure of geographic information for data management and data interchange
purposes and
b) define geographic information service components and their behaviour for data processing purposes.
These two focus points are compatible with the information viewpoint and computational viewpoint of
ISO/IEC 10746. See Annex B for an overview of RM-ODP.
6.3 Reference model organization
The major clauses of the Reference model are Conceptual modelling (clause 7), the Domain reference model
(clause 8), the Architectural reference model (clause 9) and Profiles (clause 10). These clauses are related to the
major areas of the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards (described above at the beginning of
clause 6). These relationships are summarized in Figure 3 and explained in the paragraphs that follow.

Figure 3 — Relationship of the Reference model to other standards in the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards
Conceptual modelling. Conceptual modelling is critically important to the definition of the ISO 19100 series of
geographic information standards. It is necessary for both the information and computational viewpoints (see
Annex A). This family of standards uses conceptual modelling to rigorously describe geographic information.
Conceptual modelling is also used to define services for transformation and exchange of geographic information.
Conceptual modelling is used to describe both geographic information and geographic information services in
profiles and functional specifications that specialize the ISO 19100 standards for particular purposes. A consistent
application of conceptual modelling is necessary to assure that the standards in the ISO 19100 series are
integrated with this reference model and with each other. The approach to conceptual modelling in the ISO 19100
series is based on the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model and the principles described in the
Conceptual Schema Modelling Facilities (CSMF). Conceptual Modelling is described in clause 7 of this
International Standard. The Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model is described in ISO/IEC 10746-1.
The CSMF is described in ISO/IEC 14481.
Domain reference model. The Domain reference model in clause 8 provides a high-level representation and
description of the structure and content of geographic information. This model describes the scope of the
standardization addressed by the ISO 19100 geographic information series and identifies the major aspects of
geographic information that will be the subject of standardization activity. The Domain reference model
encompasses both the information and computational viewpoints, focusing most closely on those standards in the
ISO 19100 series of standards that standardize
 the structure of geographic information in data models and definition of operations and
 the administration of geographic information.
The General feature model defines a metamodel for features and their properties.
The Domain reference model uses concepts of the Information Resource Dictionary System (IRDS) Framework in
ISO/IEC 10027, the Conceptual Schema Modelling Facilities (CSMF) in ISO/IEC 14481 and applies concepts from
1)
the Unified Modelling Language (UML) specified in ISO/IEC 19501-1:— . In order to provide more precise
definition and understanding, the Domain reference model is described using graphical notation of UML. This is
intended for developers of geographic information standards who will use or extend the ISO 19100 series as well
as for those who wish to have an in-depth knowledge of this family of standards. 5.2 summarizes the UML notation.
Architectural reference model. In clause 9, the Architectural reference model describes the general types of
services that will be provided by computer systems to manipulate geographic information and enumerates the
service interfaces across which those services must interoperate. This model also provides a method of identifying
specific requirements for standardization of geographic information that is processed by these services.
Standardization at these interfaces enables services to interoperate with their environments and to exchange
geographic information. The Architectural reference model is based on concepts of (1) the ISO Open Systems
Environment (OSE) approach for determining standardization requirements, described in ISO/IEC TR 14252, and
(2) the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model, described in ISO/IEC 10746-1. The Architectural
reference model focuses primarily on the computational viewpoint (see Annex A).
Profiles. Profiles and functional standards combine different standards in the ISO 19100 series and specialize the
information in these standards in order to meet specific needs. Profiles and functional standards facilitate the
development of geographic information systems and application systems that will be used for specific purposes.
Clause 10 describes the approach to profiling the ISO 19100 series of standards.
To be complete, the reference model must provide an understanding of how it relates to other ISO reference model
standards that describe key aspects of information technology upon which the ISO 19100 series is based. Clause 9
describes the relationship between the ISO 19100 series and the Open Systems Environment Reference Model.
6.4 Interoperability of geographic information
6.4.1 Definition of interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of a system or system component to provide information sharing and inter-application
co-operative process control. Standardization of geographic information can best be served by a set of standards
that integrates a detailed description of geographic information concepts with the concepts of information
technology. A goal of the ISO 19100 series standardization effort is to facilitate interoperability of geographic
information systems, including interoperability in distributed computing environments. Interoperability provides the
freedom to mix and match information system components without compromising overall success. Interoperability
refers to the ability to:
a) Find information and processing tools, when they are needed, independent of physical location.
b) Understand and employ the discovered information and tools, no matter what platform supports them, whether
local or remote.
NOTE Data exchange is a special case of this level of interoperability.
c) Evolve a processing environment for commercial use without being constrained to a single vendor’s offerings.
8 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

d) Build upon the information and processing infrastructures of others in order to serve niche markets, without
fear of being stranded when the supporting infrastructure matures and evolves.
e) Participate in a healthy marketplace, where goods and services are responsive to the needs of consumers and
where commodity channels are opened as the market expands sufficiently to support them.
6.4.2 Aspects of interoperability
Interoperability between systems has several aspects:
a) Network Protocol interoperability describes basic communication between systems. Communication occurs on
two levels. At the higher level, there is the communication between applications. The lower level describes the
transmission of signals. Interoperability is required at this level to ensure signals can be sent and received,
signals are timely, networks are expandable and security is intact.
b) File System interoperability requires that a file can be opened and displayed in its native format on another
system. This includes interoperability for transfer and access of files, as well as naming conventions, access
control, access methods and file management.
c) Remote Procedure Calls refer to a set of operations that execute procedures on remote systems. This form of
interoperability standardizes how programs run under another operating system.
d) Search and Access Databases provide the ability to query and manipulate data in a common database that is
distributed over different platforms. Interoperability challenges include the location and access to the stored
data.
e) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are specific to the geographic community. Interoperability between GIS
implies transparent access to data, the sharing of spatial databases and other services regardless of the
platform. To achieve interoperability between GIS, a geodata model, service model and information
communities model must be utilized. Syntactic interoperability refers to the ability for different systems to
interpret the syntax of the data the same way.
f) Application interoperability refers to the ability for different GIS applications to use and represent data in the
same manner. To do this, semantic interoperability is required. Semantic interoperability refers to applications
interpreting data consistently in the same manner in order to provide the intended representation of the data.
Semantic interoperability may be achieved using translators to convert data from a database to an application.
The schemas and implementations described in the ISO 19100 series of standards support this level of
interoperability.
6.4.3 Interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic standards
In order to support the goal of interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards, the
following use of conceptual schema language applies:
 For application schema: An application schema shall either exist or be derivable. Any suitable conceptual
schema language can be used, in principle. An application schema shall be created using rules defined in
ISO 19109, for the specific conceptual schema language that assure that the application schema conforms to
the relevant standards in the ISO 19100 series of standards.
 For data interchange: A generic data interchange mechanism is described in ISO 19118. Another interchange
mechanism may be used, in which case a two-way mapping with the relevant ISO 19100 standards shall be
provided.
 For service implementations: Supporting service implementations and associated data descriptions, can be
based on various platforms such as COM/MS-IDL, CORBA/ISO-IDL, ODBC/SQL, SDAI/EXPRESS,
ODMG/ODL and shall then conform to and have two-way mapping with the relevant standards in the
ISO 19100 series of standards.
The ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards addresses interoperability in the following standards:
 Specification of conceptual schema languages for the ISO 19100 series create a framework to enable
syntactic interoperability and to support semantic interoperability, while supporting multiple interchange formats
and multiple service implementations, is discussed in 7.4 of this International Standard.
 Model integration, discussed in 7.7 of this International Standard ensures the meaningful exchange and
sharing of geographic data by computing systems and provides a process for ensuring the consistency of two
or more conceptual schemas in order to facilitate interoperability.
 Spatial objects and position can be related to more abstract concepts that may require standardization to
ensure interoperability among computing systems. These concepts are directly related to ISO 19107,
ISO 19108, ISO 19111 and ISO 19112.
 Service interfaces provide access to geographic information services and enable exchange of data between
services and service users, information storage devices and networks. The Architectural reference model
identifies general types of interfaces that are used by geographic information services. Clause 9 of this
International Standard provides a method for identifying standardization requirements for those interfaces to
enable the interoperability of GIS in distributed computing environments.
 The purpose of an encoding standard is to enable interoperability between heterogeneous geographic
information systems. To achieve interoperability between heterogeneous systems two fundamental issues
need to be determined. The first issue is to define the semantics of the content and logical structures of
geographic data. This shall be done in an application schema. The second issue is to define a system and
platform independent data structure that can represent data corresponding to the application schema.
7 Conceptual modelling
7.1 Content of this clause
This clause describes the concepts that underlie conceptual modelling in the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards and identifies the conceptual schema language used to describe geographic information. 7.2
provides a definition of conceptual modelling. 7.3 describes how to use the information provided in this clause. 7.4
identifies the conceptual schema language that is used in the ISO 19100 series for describing models of
geographic information and geographic information services. 7.5 provides a description of the approach to
conceptual modelling used in the ISO 19100 series. 7.6 identifies the underlying principles used in conceptual
modelling. These principles are compiled and defined in ISO/IEC 14481. Finally, 7.7 describes the concept of
Model Integration that is fundamental to the effective use of the ISO 19100 series for integrating geographic
information in distributed computing environments. More detailed information is also provided in ISO/TS 19103.
Two standards, ISO/IEC 10746-1 and ISO/IEC 14481, provide a framework for the use of conceptual modelling in
ISO standards and ensure an implementation-neutral specification and modelling approach. ISO/IEC 10746-1 and
ISO/IEC 14481 provide a basis for this clause.
7.2 Definition of conceptual modelling
Conceptual modelling is the process of creating an abstract description of some portion of the real world and/or a
set of re
...

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2003
*HRJUDIVNHLQIRUPDFLMH5HIHUHQþQLPRGHO
Geographic information -- Reference model
Information géographique -- Modèle de réference
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO 19101:2002
ICS:
07.040 Astronomija. Geodezija. Astronomy. Geodesy.
Geografija Geography
35.240.70 Uporabniške rešitve IT v IT applications in science
znanosti
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INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 19101
First edition
2002-07-01
Geographic information — Reference
model
Information géographique — Modèle de référence

Reference number
©
ISO 2002
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ii © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

Contents
Foreword.v
Introduction.vi
1 Scope .1
2 Conformance.1
3 Normative references.1
4 Terms and definitions .1
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms .4
5.1 Abbreviations.4
5.2 UML notation.5
6 Concepts and organization of the reference model.5
6.1 Integration of geographic information with information technology.5
6.2 Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards .7
6.3 Reference model organization .7
6.4 Interoperability of geographic information.8
6.4.1 Definition of interoperability.8
6.4.2 Aspects of interoperability .9
6.4.3 Interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic standards .9
7 Conceptual modelling .10
7.1 Content of this clause .10
7.2 Definition of conceptual modelling.10
7.3 Use of this clause .11
7.4 Specification of conceptual schema language for the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards.11
7.5 The approach to conceptual modelling.11
7.6 Principles of conceptual modelling .12
7.7 Model integration.13
8 The Domain reference model .13
8.1 Content of this clause .13
8.2 Definition of Domain reference model.13
8.3 Uses of the Domain reference model .14
8.4 Overview of the Domain Reference model .14
8.5 Use of abstraction levels in the Domain reference model .16
8.6 Detailed description of the Domain reference model .17
8.6.1 Introduction.17
8.6.2 Application schema.17
8.6.3 Spatial objects and position.19
8.6.4 Reference systems.20
8.6.5 Quality.22
8.6.6 Metadata .23
8.6.7 General feature model.24
9 The Architectural reference model .25
9.1 Content of this clause .25
9.2 Definition of the Architectural reference model .26
9.3 Uses of the Architectural reference model .26
9.4 Overview of the Architectural reference model.26
9.4.1 Introduction.26
9.4.2 Services and service interfaces .26
9.4.3 Identifying services and service interfaces for geographic information.28
9.5 Types of geographic information services .28
9.5.1 Introduction.28
9.5.2 Types of information technology services relevant to geographic information.28
9.5.3 Extension of service types for geographic information .30
9.5.4 Service types in the ISO 19100 series compared to other service models .30
9.6 Service interfaces and standardization requirements.30
9.6.1 Introduction.30
9.6.2 Identifying standardization requirements for geographic information services .31
9.6.3 Fulfilling standardization requirements and the role of profiles .32
9.6.4 Elaboration of standardization requirements .32
9.6.5 Using this procedure to identify requirements for geographic information standards.33
10 Profiles and functional standards.34
10.1 Content of this clause .34
10.2 Profiles and base standards.34
10.3 Modularity concept.34
10.4 Use of profiles.34
10.5 Product specifications .34
10.6 Relationship of profiles to base standards.34
10.7 Functional standards .35
10.8 Registration of profiles .35
Annex A (informative) The Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility.36
A.1 Introduction.36
A.2 The ISO Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility Schema architecture.36
A.3 ISO CSMF schema architecture and the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards .38
Annex B (informative) Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information
standards.39
Bibliography .41

iv © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO
member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical
committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has
the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in
liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 3.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards adopted
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an International
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this International Standard may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 19101 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 211, Geographic information/Geomatics.
Annexes A and B of this International Standard are for information only.
Introduction
Every comprehensive standardization effort needs a reference model to ensure an integrated and consistent
approach. This International Standard is a guide to structuring geographic information standards in a way that will
enable the universal usage of digital geographic information. This reference model describes the overall
requirements for standardization and the fundamental principles that apply in developing and using standards for
geographic information. In describing these requirements and principles, this reference model provides a vision of
standardization in which geographic information can be integrated with existing and emerging digital information
technologies and applications. This International Standard is intended to be used by information system analysts,
program planners and developers of geographic information standards that are related to geographic information
standards, as well as others in order to understand the basic principles of this series of standards and the overall
requirements for standardization of geographic information.
Beyond the needs within traditional applications of digital geographic information, there is a growing recognition
among users of information technology that indexing by location is a fundamental way to organize and to use digital
data. Increasingly, digital data from a wide variety of sources is being referenced to locations for use in a diversity
of applications. Consequently, there is an increasing need for standardization of geographic information and
services for processing this information. To meet this need, the ISO 19100 series standardizes relevant aspects of
the description and management of geographic information and geographic information services. This
standardization will:
 increase the understanding and usage of geographic information;
 increase the availability, access, integration and sharing of geographic information;
 promote the efficient, effective and economic use of digital geographic information and associated hardware
and software systems;
 contribute to a unified approach to addressing global ecological and humanitarian problems.
To achieve these goals, standardization of geographic information in the ISO 19100 series is based on the
integration of the concepts of geographic information with those of information technology. The development of
standards for geographic information must consider the adoption or adaptation of generic information technology
standards whenever possible. It is only when this cannot be done that geographic information standards need to be
developed.
This International Standard identifies a generic approach to structuring the ISO 19100 series of standards. This
reference model uses concepts obtained from the ISO/IEC Open Systems Environment (OSE) approach for
determining standardization requirements described in ISO/IEC TR 14252, the IEC Open Distributed Processing
(ODP) Reference Model described in ISO/IEC 10746-1 and other relevant ISO standards and technical reports.
This International Standard does not prescribe any specific products or techniques for implementing geographic
information systems.
vi © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 19101:2002(E)

Geographic information — Reference model
1 Scope
This International Standard defines the framework for standardization in the field of geographic information and
sets forth the basic principles by which this standardization takes place.
This framework identifies the scope of the standardization activity being undertaken and the context in which it
takes place. The framework provides the method by which what is to be standardized can be determined and
describes how the contents of the standards are related.
Although structured in the context of information technology and information technology standards, this
International Standard is independent of any application development method or technology implementation
approach.
2 Conformance
General conformance and testing requirements for the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards are
described in ISO 19105. Specific conformance requirements are described in individual standards in the ISO 19100
series.
3 Normative reference
The following normative document contains provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of
this International Standard. For dated references, subsequent amendments to, or revisions of, any of these
publications do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this International Standard are encouraged to
investigate the possibility of applying the most recent edition of the normative document indicated below. For
undated references, the latest edition of the normative document referred to applies. Members of ISO and IEC
maintain registers of currently valid International Standards.
1)
ISO/IEC 19501-1:— , Information technology — Unified Modeling Language (UML) — Part 1: Specification
4 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this International Standard, the following terms and definitions apply. Sources of term
definitions not defined in this International Standard are provided.
NOTE Throughout this document, certain terms are italicized. These terms are defined either in this clause or in the terms
and definitions clause of another part of ISO 19100, as indicated.
4.1
application
manipulation and processing of data in support of user requirements
4.2
application schema
conceptual schema for data required by one or more applications

1) To be published.
4.3
conceptual formalism
set of modelling concepts used to describe a conceptual model
EXAMPLE UML meta model, EXPRESS meta model.
NOTE One conceptual formalism can be expressed in several conceptual schema languages.
4.4
conceptual model
model that defines concepts of a universe of discourse
4.5
conceptual schema
formal description of a conceptual model
4.6
conceptual schema language
formal language based on a conceptual formalism for the purpose of representing conceptual schemas
EXAMPLE UML, EXPRESS, IDEF1X
NOTE A conceptual schema language may be lexical or graphical. Several conceptual schema languages can be based
on the same conceptual formalism.
4.7
dataset
identifiable collection of data
4.8
data level
level containing data describing specific instances
4.9
data quality element
quantitative component documenting the quality of a dataset
NOTE The applicability of a data quality element to a dataset depends on both the dataset’s content and its product
specification; the result being that all data elements may not be applicable to all datasets.
4.10
data quality overview element
non-quantitative component documenting the quality of a dataset
NOTE Information about the purpose, usage and lineage of a dataset is non-quantitative information.
4.11
feature
abstraction of real world phenomena
NOTE A feature may occur as a type or an instance. Feature type or feature instance shall be used when only one is
meant.
4.12
feature attribute
characteristic of a feature
EXAMPLE 1 A feature attribute named “colour” may have an attribute value “green” which belongs to the data type “text”.
EXAMPLE 2 A feature attribute named “length” may have an attribute value “82.4” which belongs to the data type “real”.
2 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

NOTE 1 A feature attribute has a name, a data type and a value domain associated to it. A feature attribute for a feature
instance also has an attribute value taken from the value domain.
NOTE 2 In a feature catalogue, a feature attribute may include a value domain but does not specify attribute values for
feature instances.
4.13
feature catalogue
catalogue containing definitions and descriptions of the feature types, feature attributes and feature relationships
occurring in one or more sets of geographic data, together with any feature operations that may be applied
4.14
feature operation
operation that every instance of a feature type may perform
EXAMPLE 1 An operation upon the feature type “dam” is to raise the dam. The result of this operation is to raise the level of
water in a reservoir.
EXAMPLE 2 An operation by the feature type “dam” might be to block vessels from navigating along a watercourse.
NOTE Feature operations provide a basis for feature type definition.
4.15
functional standard
existing geographic information standard, in active use by an international community of data producers and data
users
NOTE GDF, S-57 and DIGEST are examples of functional standards.
4.16
geographic information
information concerning phenomena implicitly or explicitly associated with a location relative to the Earth
4.17
geographic information service
service that transforms, manages, or presents geographic information to users
4.18
geographic information system
information system dealing with information concerning phenomena associated with location relative to the Earth
4.19
graphical language
language whose syntax is expressed in terms of graphical symbols
4.20
lexical language
language whose syntax is expressed in terms of symbols defined as character strings
4.21
metadata schema
conceptual schema describing metadata
NOTE ISO 19115 describes a standard for a metadata schema.
4.22
profile
set of one or more base standards and — where applicable — the identification of chosen clauses, classes, options
and parameters of those base standards that are necessary for accomplishing a particular function
NOTE A base standard is any ISO 19100 series standard or other Information Technology standard that can be used as a
source for components from which a profile or product specification may be constructed (see ISO/IEC TR 10000-1).
4.23
quality
totality of characteristics of a product that bear on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs
4.24
quality schema
conceptual schema defining aspects of quality for geographic data
4.25
schema
formal description of a model
4.26
service
capability which a service provider entity makes available to a service user entity at the interface between those
entities
4.27
service interface
shared boundary between an automated system or human being and another automated system or human being
4.28
spatial object
instance of a type defined in the spatial schema
4.29
universe of discourse
view of the real or hypothetical world that includes everything of interest
5 Symbols and abbreviated terms
5.1 Abbreviations
CSMF Conceptual Schema Modelling Facility
ECMA European Computer Manufacturers Association
GIS Geographic Information System
IDL Interface Definition Language
IRDS Information Resource Dictionary System
ISP International Standardized Profiles
IT Information Technology
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
OCL Object Constraint Language
4 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

ODP Open Distributed Processing
OMG Object Management Group
OSE Open Systems Environment
UML Unified Modelling Language
5.2 UML notation
The diagrams that appear in this International Standard are presented in accordance with the Unified Modelling
1)
Language (UML) specified in ISO/IEC 19501-1:— . The UML notation is described in Figure 1.

Figure 1 — UML notation
6 Concepts and organization of the reference model
6.1 Integration of geographic information with information technology
The ISO 19100 is a series of standards for defining, describing and managing geographic information. This
International Standard defines the architectural framework of the ISO 19100 series of standards and sets forth the
principles by which this standardization takes place.
Standardization of geographic information can best be served by a set of standards that integrates a detailed
description of the concepts of geographic information with the concepts of information technology. A goal of this
standardization effort is to facilitate interoperability of geographic information systems, including interoperability in
distributed computing environments. Figure 2 depicts this approach.
Figure 2 — Integration of geographic information and information technology
The ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards establishes a structured set of standards for information
concerning objects or phenomena that are directly or indirectly associated with a location relative to the Earth. This
standard specifies methods, tools and services for management of geographic information, including the definition,
acquisition, analysis, access, presentation and transfer of such data in digital/electronic form between different
users, systems and locations. In Figure 2, the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards can be
grouped into five major areas, each of which incorporate information technology concepts to standardize
geographic information. These major areas describe:
 The framework for the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards including this International
Standard. The framework and reference model cover the more general aspects of the ISO 19100 series of
standards. The reference model identifies all components involved and defines how they fit together. It relates
the different aspects of the ISO 19100 series of standards together and provides a common basis for
communication.
 Geographic information services define the encoding of information in transfer formats and the methodology
for presentation of geographic information that is based on cartography and the old traditions of standardized
visualisations. This area also includes the field of satellite positioning; together with the formats and interfaces
necessary to utilize modern navigational satellite systems.
 Data administration is concerned with the description of quality principles and quality evaluation procedures for
geographic information datasets. Data administration also includes the description of the data itself, or
metadata, together with feature catalogues. This area also covers the spatial referencing of geographical
objects — either directly through coordinates, or more indirectly by use of, for instance, area codes like postal
or zip codes, addresses, etc.
 Data models and operators are concerned with the underlying geometry of the globe and how geographic
features and their spatial characteristics may be modelled. This area defines important spatial characteristics
and how these are related to each other.
 Profiles and functional standards consider the technique of profiling. Profiling consists of putting together
“packages/subsets” of the total set of standards to fit individual application areas or users. This supports rapid
6 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

implementation and penetration in the user environments due to the comprehensiveness of the total set of
standards. Equally important is the task of “absorbing” existing de facto standards from the commercial sector
and harmonizing them with profiles of the emerging ISO standards.
6.2 Focus of standardization in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards
The focus of this family of standards is to:
a) define the basic semantics and structure of geographic information for data management and data interchange
purposes and
b) define geographic information service components and their behaviour for data processing purposes.
These two focus points are compatible with the information viewpoint and computational viewpoint of
ISO/IEC 10746. See Annex B for an overview of RM-ODP.
6.3 Reference model organization
The major clauses of the Reference model are Conceptual modelling (clause 7), the Domain reference model
(clause 8), the Architectural reference model (clause 9) and Profiles (clause 10). These clauses are related to the
major areas of the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards (described above at the beginning of
clause 6). These relationships are summarized in Figure 3 and explained in the paragraphs that follow.

Figure 3 — Relationship of the Reference model to other standards in the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards
Conceptual modelling. Conceptual modelling is critically important to the definition of the ISO 19100 series of
geographic information standards. It is necessary for both the information and computational viewpoints (see
Annex A). This family of standards uses conceptual modelling to rigorously describe geographic information.
Conceptual modelling is also used to define services for transformation and exchange of geographic information.
Conceptual modelling is used to describe both geographic information and geographic information services in
profiles and functional specifications that specialize the ISO 19100 standards for particular purposes. A consistent
application of conceptual modelling is necessary to assure that the standards in the ISO 19100 series are
integrated with this reference model and with each other. The approach to conceptual modelling in the ISO 19100
series is based on the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model and the principles described in the
Conceptual Schema Modelling Facilities (CSMF). Conceptual Modelling is described in clause 7 of this
International Standard. The Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model is described in ISO/IEC 10746-1.
The CSMF is described in ISO/IEC 14481.
Domain reference model. The Domain reference model in clause 8 provides a high-level representation and
description of the structure and content of geographic information. This model describes the scope of the
standardization addressed by the ISO 19100 geographic information series and identifies the major aspects of
geographic information that will be the subject of standardization activity. The Domain reference model
encompasses both the information and computational viewpoints, focusing most closely on those standards in the
ISO 19100 series of standards that standardize
 the structure of geographic information in data models and definition of operations and
 the administration of geographic information.
The General feature model defines a metamodel for features and their properties.
The Domain reference model uses concepts of the Information Resource Dictionary System (IRDS) Framework in
ISO/IEC 10027, the Conceptual Schema Modelling Facilities (CSMF) in ISO/IEC 14481 and applies concepts from
1)
the Unified Modelling Language (UML) specified in ISO/IEC 19501-1:— . In order to provide more precise
definition and understanding, the Domain reference model is described using graphical notation of UML. This is
intended for developers of geographic information standards who will use or extend the ISO 19100 series as well
as for those who wish to have an in-depth knowledge of this family of standards. 5.2 summarizes the UML notation.
Architectural reference model. In clause 9, the Architectural reference model describes the general types of
services that will be provided by computer systems to manipulate geographic information and enumerates the
service interfaces across which those services must interoperate. This model also provides a method of identifying
specific requirements for standardization of geographic information that is processed by these services.
Standardization at these interfaces enables services to interoperate with their environments and to exchange
geographic information. The Architectural reference model is based on concepts of (1) the ISO Open Systems
Environment (OSE) approach for determining standardization requirements, described in ISO/IEC TR 14252, and
(2) the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) Reference Model, described in ISO/IEC 10746-1. The Architectural
reference model focuses primarily on the computational viewpoint (see Annex A).
Profiles. Profiles and functional standards combine different standards in the ISO 19100 series and specialize the
information in these standards in order to meet specific needs. Profiles and functional standards facilitate the
development of geographic information systems and application systems that will be used for specific purposes.
Clause 10 describes the approach to profiling the ISO 19100 series of standards.
To be complete, the reference model must provide an understanding of how it relates to other ISO reference model
standards that describe key aspects of information technology upon which the ISO 19100 series is based. Clause 9
describes the relationship between the ISO 19100 series and the Open Systems Environment Reference Model.
6.4 Interoperability of geographic information
6.4.1 Definition of interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of a system or system component to provide information sharing and inter-application
co-operative process control. Standardization of geographic information can best be served by a set of standards
that integrates a detailed description of geographic information concepts with the concepts of information
technology. A goal of the ISO 19100 series standardization effort is to facilitate interoperability of geographic
information systems, including interoperability in distributed computing environments. Interoperability provides the
freedom to mix and match information system components without compromising overall success. Interoperability
refers to the ability to:
a) Find information and processing tools, when they are needed, independent of physical location.
b) Understand and employ the discovered information and tools, no matter what platform supports them, whether
local or remote.
NOTE Data exchange is a special case of this level of interoperability.
c) Evolve a processing environment for commercial use without being constrained to a single vendor’s offerings.
8 © ISO 2002 – All rights reserved

d) Build upon the information and processing infrastructures of others in order to serve niche markets, without
fear of being stranded when the supporting infrastructure matures and evolves.
e) Participate in a healthy marketplace, where goods and services are responsive to the needs of consumers and
where commodity channels are opened as the market expands sufficiently to support them.
6.4.2 Aspects of interoperability
Interoperability between systems has several aspects:
a) Network Protocol interoperability describes basic communication between systems. Communication occurs on
two levels. At the higher level, there is the communication between applications. The lower level describes the
transmission of signals. Interoperability is required at this level to ensure signals can be sent and received,
signals are timely, networks are expandable and security is intact.
b) File System interoperability requires that a file can be opened and displayed in its native format on another
system. This includes interoperability for transfer and access of files, as well as naming conventions, access
control, access methods and file management.
c) Remote Procedure Calls refer to a set of operations that execute procedures on remote systems. This form of
interoperability standardizes how programs run under another operating system.
d) Search and Access Databases provide the ability to query and manipulate data in a common database that is
distributed over different platforms. Interoperability challenges include the location and access to the stored
data.
e) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are specific to the geographic community. Interoperability between GIS
implies transparent access to data, the sharing of spatial databases and other services regardless of the
platform. To achieve interoperability between GIS, a geodata model, service model and information
communities model must be utilized. Syntactic interoperability refers to the ability for different systems to
interpret the syntax of the data the same way.
f) Application interoperability refers to the ability for different GIS applications to use and represent data in the
same manner. To do this, semantic interoperability is required. Semantic interoperability refers to applications
interpreting data consistently in the same manner in order to provide the intended representation of the data.
Semantic interoperability may be achieved using translators to convert data from a database to an application.
The schemas and implementations described in the ISO 19100 series of standards support this level of
interoperability.
6.4.3 Interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic standards
In order to support the goal of interoperability in the ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards, the
following use of conceptual schema language applies:
 For application schema: An application schema shall either exist or be derivable. Any suitable conceptual
schema language can be used, in principle. An application schema shall be created using rules defined in
ISO 19109, for the specific conceptual schema language that assure that the application schema conforms to
the relevant standards in the ISO 19100 series of standards.
 For data interchange: A generic data interchange mechanism is described in ISO 19118. Another interchange
mechanism may be used, in which case a two-way mapping with the relevant ISO 19100 standards shall be
provided.
 For service implementations: Supporting service implementations and associated data descriptions, can be
based on various platforms such as COM/MS-IDL, CORBA/ISO-IDL, ODBC/SQL, SDAI/EXPRESS,
ODMG/ODL and shall then conform to and have two-way mapping with the relevant standards in the
ISO 19100 series of standards.
The ISO 19100 series of geographic information standards addresses interoperability in the following standards:
 Specification of conceptual schema languages for the ISO 19100 series create a framework to enable
syntactic interoperability and to support semantic interoperability, while supporting multiple interchange formats
and multiple service implementations, is discussed in 7.4 of this International Standard.
 Model integration, discussed in 7.7 of this International Standard ensures the meaningful exchange and
sharing of geographic data by computing systems and provides a process for ensuring the consistency of two
or more conceptual schemas in order to facilitate interoperability.
 Spatial objects and position can be related to more abstract concepts that may require standardization to
ensure interoperability among computing systems. These concepts are directly related to ISO 19107,
ISO 19108, ISO 19111 and ISO 19112.
 Service interfaces provide access to geographic information services and enable exchange of data between
services and service users, information storage devices and networks. The Architectural reference model
identifies general types of interfaces that are used by geographic information services. Clause 9 of this
International Standard provides a method for identifying standardization requirements for those interfaces to
enable the interoperability of GIS in distributed computing environments.
 The purpose of an encoding standard is to enable interoperability between heterogeneous geographic
information systems. To achieve interoperability between heterogeneous systems two fundamental issues
need to be determined. The first issue is to define the semantics of the content and logical structures of
geographic data. This shall be done in an application schema. The second issue is to define a system and
platform independent data structure that can represent data corresponding to the application schema.
7 Conceptual modelling
7.1 Content of this clause
This clause describes the concepts that underlie conceptual modelling in the ISO 19100 series of geographic
information standards and identifies the conceptual schema language used to describe geographic information. 7.2
provides a definition of conceptual modelling. 7.3 describes how to use the information provided in this clause. 7.4
identifies the conceptual schema language that is used in the ISO 19100 s
...